Amour et la Mer
by MandaPanda
Summary: When Amadia, a young college student who is deathly afraid of water, agrees to go to California for Spring Break with her boyfriend Niel, she gets caught up in the most dangerous adventure of her life! She finds herself torn between two worlds; will she s


Chapter One: The Water Man  
  
Amadia clutched the bottom of her seat as if hanging on for dear life. Sweet smelling salt air blew into her face and up her nose, almost gagging her with the bittersweet scent, and light sprinkles of seawater sprayed into her eyes and hair. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to imagine soothing, more comfortable surroundings, but the rocking of the sail boat she sat on kept her mind far from the comfort of the solid ground. Ohmygodohmygodohmygod what the HELL am I doing out here? she thought frantically, opening one of her eyes a slit and scanning the wide, endless ocean she was currently surrounded by. The clear blueness of the entire area was reflected everywhere, in the cloudless sky, the sparkling liquidness of the water, even in the decals on the boat that rocked to and fro like a crazy, out of control carnival ride. The sails, billowing in the fresh breeze, flapped tautly in the wind, and even they seemed to glow a kind of translucent blue, the colors dancing along the fabric like playful children.  
  
In another life, this may have seemed beautiful to me, Amadia thought sadly, her knuckles nearly white from the strain of holding her body down firmly on the cushioned seat she sat upon. She squinted at the almost unnatural brightness of the setting sun, it's orange rays bathing the sky in a blanket of rosy lovliness, bouncing off of the gently rocking waves all around her. If I just forget that I'm on a boat, maybe this won't be so bad . . .  
  
"Amadia!" came a man's voice from behind her. She whirled around and saw that it was her brusque boyfriend Niel, a large-chested, brown-haired football player with a wide smile and twinkling, mischevious eyes that belied his rough, cynical nature. His largeness was the exact opposite of the small, slim Amadia; she was lithe and petite, if not slightly short for her age of eightteen, with long, wavy hair the color of a raven's feather and skin nearly as pale as the white sails that propelled the boat they sat upon. The couple had met while in their first year of college, back home in Michigan, both having been in the same Writing 150 class, and the sparks between this odd pair flew until they could no longer stand it. They had been together for only a few months, and Amadia, although she didn't want to admit it, was beginning to see the error of taking this man on as a boyfriend.  
  
Niel slapped the small girl roughly on the back as if she were one of his buddies on the football team. She nearly fell out of her seat, biting her lip to keep from crying out in pain. "Whatsamatta Dia?" he chuckled, using her most hated nickname. "Gettin' seasick already? We've hardly been out here for a half hour!"  
  
Amadia scowled, wiping the water from her face and shooting Niel a warning glance. "Niel, you know how much I hate the water. I dunno even why I agreed to come out here with you!" She kept her back turned from her small- minded boyfriend, too proud to show him the fear that she knew was apparent in her brown eyes. When she was only twelve, she had lost her younger sister in a boating accident, and she nearly drowned herself. Ever since that day, she had been deathly afraid of the water and anything associated with it, vowing never again to set foot upon another boat in her life. That is, until Niel, using his charm and manipulativeness, convinced her to join him and his football buddies on a little sailboat trip for Spring Break . . .  
  
Niel grunted his disapproval. "C'Mon, Dia, you aren't even in your swimsuit. The water ain't gonna kill ya." He walked around to face her and lifted her downcast chin with his big hand, bringing her face level to his.  
  
Her eyes simmered with near hatred for the man she thought was actually worthy of her attentions, and she had to catch herself from saying anything she would regret later on. "You don't understand, do you? You never did," she muttered, forcing her face out of his hand and looking away into the sunset. "I don't wanna swim, I don't even wanna be here, so just leave me alone for a little while, OK?"  
  
One of Niel's buddies, Jake, heard their conversation from behind them and laughed heartily, tauntingly. "You ain't gonna take that, are ya, Niel?" he challenged, his busty girlfriend giggling on his lap. Her hands were all over his tan, buff chest, and she was nearly popping out of her own top, which was about three sizes too small. "It's spring break, man, yer s'posed to be out in the waves havin' a good time!"  
  
Niel grinned and turned back to Amadia. She was dressed as if it were fall, a light cream colored zip up sweater covering a form fitting red polo shirt that complimented her knee length denim skirt. The only skin she was baring was that on her lower legs, while Niel was dressed liberally in only his long green swimming trunks. He grasped ahold of her arms, hard, pulling her up out of the seat. "C'mon, let's go fer a swim honey!"  
  
"Let me go!" she cried, fear raising her voice. She eyed the edge of the sailboat warily, the waves rocking the boat even harder than before. They seemed even more malevolent than ever, as if their one sole purpose was to drag her down into the depths beneath them.  
  
"Do it, Niely boy!" Jake called, and his girlfriend giggled girlishly at Amadia's obvious discomfort. "Throw 'er overboard!"  
  
Niel lifted Amadia onto his back with ease, not even flinching as she kicked him and punched his back with all of her might. "It's a good day to learn how to swim, dontcha think, honey?" With the ease of an athlete, he lifted her high into the air and threw her over the edge of the boat, where she fell with a splash into the blue depths.  
  
There was no time to scream. Time seemed to move at a slow crawl as Amadia arced downward from the air into the water, the splash sounding like a loud roar in her ears. She couldn't even close her eyes to block out the frightening blueness of the water swirling all about her as she sank deeper and deeper, farther and farther from the safety of the boat. The water felt like a thousand hands all clutching at her skin, grabbing her, pulling her down . . down, past the bubbles and past the beautiful green-blue of the ocean's surface, into the liquid depths of her death . . .  
  
There was a man before her suddenly, a man made of . . . water? His whole body seemed formed merely from the bubbles that surrounded her, and the only thing remotely human about him was his eyes. They were the clearest shade of blue, almost brighter even than the water that apparently formed him. They were concerned for her, worried about her safety, and it seemed almost as if he was stopping her descent into the cold depths of the sea. She floated there for what seemed like centuries, stuck in that same spot, her eyes glued onto the eyes of the water man that was her savior, and soon, even her fear of drowning all but melted away . . .  
  
A hand, a human hand, clutched at her shoulder and pulled her up with the strength of someone more forceful even than Niel. Amadia, her eyes wide open, searched for the water man before she was brought back inevitably to the surface, but all that was left of him were bubbles . . .  
  
With a whoosh, her head penetrated the surface of the waves, and she took a deep, loud gulp of air, almost blinded by the brightness of the sun as it beat mercifully down upon her. A tanned arm held her afloat as she thrashed around in a daze, and a female's voice soothed her with shushes and calming words. "It's ok, Amadia, you're ok. You're back at the surface now, everything's gonna be ok."  
  
Amadia turned herself around just enough to see who her rescuer was. It was one of the girls that was on the boat with her, someone she had only briefly met because they were to share the same sailboat ride into the sea. What was her name again, Rachel? Rebecca? Oh, Rhian . . . Amadia clutched onto the tan, lean muscled girl with all of her might as she pulled her back onto the boat.  
  
Her rescuer, Rhian, was slightly taller than Amadia, with skin a dark shade of tan and hair nearly as black as Amadia's. She shook the water from her hair and grabbed a towel from the floor, handing it generously to Amadia. "Here, you can come with me into the cutty cabin to dry off."  
  
Wordlessly Amadia took the towel and wrapped it around her shoulders as she followed Rhian past Niel and the other guys into the small room of the sailboat. As she passed them, she shot Niel a hateful glance.  
  
Rhian was pulling on a pair of cut off jeans as she entered the little room. Amadia shivered and sat down on the bed across from the other girl, giving her a grateful look. "Listen, thanks so much for, uh, saving me out there. I . . I'm really afraid of water . . ."  
  
"I can tell!" Rhian laughed, her voice like beautiful chimes. She smiled comfortingly at Amadia and patted her shoulder. "Don't feel stupid or anything; what Niel did was a total asshole thing to do."  
  
Amadia nodded slowly. "I knew he would try somthing like that, I just knew it. I shouldn't have even come." She pursed her lips together to keep them from trembling. She didn't want to cry in front of this woman who seemed so sure of herself. She all of a sudden felt inferior to Rhian, who was obviously an expert swimmer; she felt as if she was just overreacting about the entire fiasco and Rhian was thinking that she was a spoiled little baby for throwing a fit about getting thrown into the water.  
  
Almost as if reading her thoughts, Rhian smiled and gave Amadia a quick hug. "Hey, don't worry about it. There's nothing wrong with fearing the water; I would too if I had almost drowned!"  
  
Amadia gasped. "How'd you know about that?" she asked in wonder. "I . . I lost my sister in a boating accident when I was twelve, and water has scared me ever since."  
  
Rhian shrugged. "I guess I can just . . . sense these things, y'know?" She grinned, her white teeth flashing. "Well, no matter. You need to get some dry clothes on so you can rip Niel out another asshole for what he did."  
  
Amadia laughed, the cold, shivery fear of near drowning slowly fading away. She liked Rhian, even though she didn't really know her that well. She seemed like a girl she could talk to about anything, easy-going and self- confident. She had a feeling they would be hanging out a lot more during the rest of their spring break trip.  
  
When Rhian left and closed the door behind her, Amadia quickly peeled her wet clothes from her body and threw on her blue striped swimsuit and a tee shirt and shorts on top of it. She stared into the full length mirror that sat in the far corner of the tiny little room, sighing at what she saw. Her skin was so pale she looked the part of a tourist, extremely out of place anywhere near California, where their hotel was back on the mainland. Her hair was plastered to her skull and still dripping with water, and she tried half-heartedly to re do it, but the slickness of it made it look even worse. I look like a total ass, she thought angrily, slumping onto the bed behind her. She could feel her head pounding, screaming, so she held it in her hands, letting the recent memories of her little "swim" flood over her thoughts. Did I really see that . . that water man? she wondered in confusion. Or was it just my eyes playing tricks on me, my mind giving me something to hold onto while I nearly died? She could still see the water man's eyes, so clear and blue, and genuinely concerned about her, in her mind's eye. He seemed so real and yet . . like he wasn't really there.  
  
There was a pounding at the door, and Niel's loud voice came muffled from behind it. "C'mon Dia, get outta there. You've been in there for about an hour now!"  
  
"An hour?" Amadia whispered incredulously. "It couldn't have been an hour . . I was only just sitting here, thinking . . ." She stood up wobbily and opened the door. Niel gave her an angry, questioning look, but she only shoved past him out onto the deck.  
  
"Dia . . ." he tried to grab her arm and yank her back, but she only pulled away from him.  
  
"Leave me the fuck alone," she growled lowly, her eyes slits. "You've got a lot of fucking explaining to do when we get back."  
  
Chapter Two: Rhian  
  
The group, consisting of Amadia and Niel, Jake, his girlfriend, Rhian, two other girls and three other football players, didn't stay out on the water much longer after Amadia's near death experience. The ride back was silent, to say the least, mirrored in the gently lapping waves of the ocean at night.  
  
Amadia sat, thinking all of this over, on the rocking chair swing that sat outside on the porch of their beach house room later that night. The wind carried with it the scent of the ocean, but it no longer bothered the girl, who's thoughts were far away as she gazed with wonder up at the twinkling stars. It was a clear, beautifully black night, the sounds on the waves lapping against the shoreline and the faraway call of seagulls filling her ears. She rocked back and forth gently, ignoring the sounds of the drunken party that was taking place behind her within their already trashed hotel rooms.  
  
The door squeaked open behind her, and Amadia turned to see Rhian coming outside. "Hey," Amadia greeted with a small, shy smile, sliding over to make room for the other girl to sit beside her. "It's a beautiful night, huh?"  
  
Rhian nodded and sat down next to her. "Almost makes me wish I lived here!"  
  
Amadia laughed heartily. "Well, personally, I wouldn't go THAT far. I like my freezing temperatures and snow back home in Michigan."  
  
Rhian grinned, keeping in time with the slow rocking of the chair. "How come you came here, anyways?" she asked. "Not that I don't want ya here, it's actually the total opposite. But considering your fear of water, I just don't know what could convince you to even come."  
  
Amadia sighed. "Niel," she grumbled, her face reddening at his name. "I dunno, I guess I thought that being with him would make it more fun. But I'm slowly starting to realize how much of a dick he really is."  
  
Rhian nodded. "Have you reemed him out yet? I haven't even seen you two talking since the incident."  
  
"That's the thing," Amadia shook her head. "I'm giving him the silent treatment now. Who knows what's gonna happen after this trip? I have a feeling we aren't gonna last much longer."  
  
"Do you really even wanna still be with him?" Rhian asked in concern. "Sorry if I'm prying . . ."  
  
"Nah, 'sok." Amadia smiled. She couldn't think of why she had never hung out with this girl before. She couldn't even remember seeing her back on campus, and that thought confused her. "It's hard for me to admit, but I really haven't wanted to be with him ever since we started going out two months ago."  
  
Rhian frowned. "Well, maybe you are just afraid of change or something. Believe me, I know how THAT can be."  
  
"I've never thought of it that way before," Amadia answered thoughtfully. "Y'know, you're probably right. I would just feel . . . I dunno, alone without somebody. I guess I justified that since Niel was so nice before we went out, he would be that way forever. Man, was I wrong."  
  
"Hell, I've made even worse mistakes than that, girl, lemme tell you!" Rhian laughed. "Guys really aren't worth it. I've only met one guy that has even been remotely close to good enough, and now he's . . . gone."  
  
Amadia turned to Rhian and frowned her concern. "Did he . . did he . . pass on?"  
  
"Oh, no, not like THAT!" Rhian giggled. "He's not dead, he's just . . . well, he kinda moved pretty far away, and I haven't heard from him since."  
  
"I'm sorry to hear that," Amadia answered genuinely. "The good ones always slip past ya . . ." She was surprised to see the image of the water man's face pop into her mind when she said that, and she had to shake her head to get the picture out of her mind's eye.  
  
"Well, that's for sure, but I've learned . . if you find a guy worth staying with, don't ever let him slip from your grasp, or you'll lose him forever." This Rhian said with a hint of sadness lining her voice, and Amadia could see tears welling up in her blue eyes.  
  
Rhian stood up and stretched, trying to hide the fact that she had become so emtional during their conversation. "Well, I'm gonna hit the sack. You coming? You can stay in my room if ya want, since you and Niel aren't so hot."  
  
"Nah, I'll be in later," Amadia answered with a smile. She squeezed Rhian's hand in comfort. "Thanks for everything, Rhian."  
  
"No prob, girl," she grinned. "I'll wake ya up tomorrow morning and we can go out shopping or something, get away from these hogs we surround ourselves with."  
  
Amadia giggled. "Ya, that would be great! See ya in the morning." She watched out of the corner of her eye as Rhian opened the glass slider door and walked back into the room, immersing herself within the drunken revelry and unnatural lights of the party within.  
  
Maybe this trip won't be as bad as I thought, Amadia thought happily. Rhian seems really cool, like someone I'll stay friends with forever. She watched the stars twinkle and the moon cast milky shadows upon the darkness of the waters and smiled.  
  
Chapter Three: The Best Laid Plans . . .  
  
" . . . What the hell d'ya mean, she's a water person?"  
  
Jake shushed Niel frantically, slamming his large hand over his loud friend's mouth. "Shut up, ya ass! You'll wake the others up!"  
  
Niel closed his mouth and bit his lip. "Sorry, man, but I dunno what the fuck you are talking about. You crazy or something?"  
  
"No! Now listen to me or I'll really haveta kick you ass." Jake paced back and forth in front of the bed, the TV screen casting weird shadows onto his form. The two were alone in Niel and Amadia's room, the slider door and door connecting their room to the others locked. They kept the TV on low in order to cover their conversation so that no one's prying ears could hear what they were saying.  
  
"Rhian, she's not really human. She was born some sorta water person, and she has all these weird water powers that could take us out in an instant!" Jake continued, his arms flying into the air in exasperation.  
  
Niel frowned. "What the hell are you smokin, dude? You've been readin WAY too many comics or somethin . . . "  
  
Jake, with a speed and ferocity that surprised even Niel, grabbed Niel's neck with his hands and lifted him off of the bed. "LISTEN to me, you idiot, I know this because the GOVERNMENT knows all about this kinda shit."  
  
Niel's eyes widened and he fell onto the bed as Jake let him go. "The GOVERNMENT? This is pretty serious, then . . ."  
  
"Yeah, that's what I've been tryin to tell you!" Jake hissed. "They have all these spies who are watchin these water people, and apparently the water guys are plannin on takin over America or something!"  
  
"Dude . . . this is like, in a movie!" Niel muttered in awe. "How did you get involved? And what are we supposed to do about it?"  
  
"I have my . . . resources," Jake answered reluctantly. "It doesn't matter how I got involved, it's what I need your help to do. We gotta keep close tabs on this Rhian chick, and it looks like she's goin' after Amadia first!"  
  
Niel scowled. "Who gives a fuck about that bitch, Rhian could eat her for all I fuckin care." He crossed his arms angrily. "What are we s'posed to do to her? Just watch her? Make some sorta spy reports? Kill her?" The last part he said reluctantly, taking in a large gulp of air even before considering it.  
  
"Well, all three, if she starts actin' up," Jake asnwered conspiratorily. "I've got a contact in town, at this dumpy little comic shop called 'The Comic Shack.' We're s'posed to go see him every other day or so and give him reports on how Rhian's actin, what she's up to, and why the hell she's with us. Then we're s'posed to eventually take her out and bring her to some secret lab, who knows what for. Either way, we're gettin' paid, and gettin' our asses outta trouble . . ."  
  
"D'ya think she's spyin' on us because we . . . "  
  
"SHUT UP!" Jake cried, then quickly covered his mouth to keep himself from another outburst. "Shut up," he hissed again, this time quieter. "Don't EVER mention THAT, you have no idea who might be listenin."  
  
Niel nodded sheepishly, his tanned face draining of color. "Right. Well, are we goin to the Comic Shack tomorrow, or should we just sit tight and watch?"  
  
Jake smiled evilly. "I've got somethin in mind for you, actually. C'mere, I'll explain . . ."  
  
From outside their door, Amadia covered her mouth in a gasp, running from their room and away from all that she had heard.  
  
Chapter Four: The Dream  
  
Cannon Hawke sat up from his bed with a start. Sweat beaded all along his brow, and his shoulder length black hair was plastered to his head with perspiration. Shakily he brought a hand to his eyes and took a deep, shuddering breath.  
  
From across the room, a tall, brown haired woman named Lara Croft stood up from her couch in worry. "Cannon . . . ? You alright?" she called, wrenching her eyes from the TV screen. She was watching the Discovery Channel, which was showing a special on King Tut's Tomb.  
  
Cannon shook his head wearily. "Yeah . . yeah, I'm ok, " he mumbled, throwing his legs over the side of the bed revealing his tanned, naked form. His whole body was glistening with sweat, and he felt constrained, trapped within the blankets draped over the bed.  
  
Lara strode over to Cannon and wrapped her arms around his neck, embracing him with a long, passionate kiss. "I think you're lying to me, water-man," she growled seductively. She wrapped her legs around his waist and straddled him with a cat-like ease. "Why don't you just crawl back under those covers and I can make you feel all better . . ."  
  
Cannon pushed her away, turning his face from hers so that she couldn't trap him with another of her kisses. "No Lara, not now." He sat her gently atop the bed and quickly yanked up his pants from the floor and pulled them on quickly. "I . . . I'm not in the mood tonight."  
  
"What the hell is the matter?" Lara cried angrily, jumping up from the bed fiercely. She followed him as he pulled on a pair of tennis shoes and a light tee shirt and watched with growing rage as he slung his backpack over his shoulder. "And where the hell do you think you're going?"  
  
"I've got to . . find somebody," Cannon muttered without meeting her gaze. "Someone is in trouble, and I need to get to her before . . ."  
  
"HER?" Lara raged. "Who's this mysterious woman, Cannon, some other woman you're seeing?" She ran in front of the door and blocked his way, her eyes ablaze with fire. "Are you cheating on me, or are you gonna be a real man and deny it?"  
  
Cannon glowered at her and pushed her out of his way. "Lara, we were never seeing each other in the first place, so how could I be cheating on you?" he asked, his voice a low, heated tone. He opened the door and prepared to leave.  
  
"Well then what the fuck do you call what we did last night then, huh?" Lara cried at the top of her lungs. People who were walking past Lara's cozy house on the beach stopped and stared at the spectacle, chuckling at what they heard. Cannon covered his face, quickly burning red, with his hands.  
  
"Lara, I'm sorry . . "  
  
"YOU BET YOUR ASS YOU'RE SORRY!" she cried, her face bruning bright red with her anger. "Now get the fuck outta my face you asshole!" With that, she slammed the door in his face.  
  
Cannon stood there for a minute, letting her words sink in. Well, THAT went well, he thought sarcastically, then jogged away from the apartment he had been sharing with his new "interest" for the past few days.  
  
I dunno what I was thinking when I got with her anyways, Cannon thought with a chuckle. I've got the worst luck when it comes to women . . . except for her . . . His thoughts turned to the beautiful, wild, dark- haired woman of the water that he left behind so many months ago for a quest his betters had assigned to him, to find the woman named Aspen Matthews and save her from Killian's forceful ideals. After saving Aspen and the entire world from Killian's wrath, he was finally allowed some rest, but when he returned to the ocean, his home, his girl was gone.  
  
And now you're in trouble, Rhian, always in some sort of trouble that you need help getting out of. Cannon shook his head as he ran down the dimly lit streets of a quaint city outside of San Diego and towards the beach, where his avenue of transportation awaited him. And no matter what I do, I find myself always going back to you, going back to the waters . . .  
  
Cannon had had a vision while he slumbered at Lara's place, a strange, symbolic dream only his people were prone to having that usually meant danger of some sort was going to befall someone that they loved dearly. Cannon's dream consisted of the beautiful Rhian, in disguise as a human, being atacked by pale skinned, wide-chested men wearing government trenchcoats and carrying shiny black guns that were aimed straight at her. Somehow, oil and dolphins had something to do with the vision, and a raven- haired girl of above, a human, who somehow earned Rhain's confidence. The government men had something to do with the human girl, and then there was another element . . . a man of the water, whom Cannon did not recognize . . .  
  
Cannon shook the dream from his vision and concentrated on reaching his transportation, a water propelled, jet-ski looking vehicle only his people used, called a bogey. With a mere thought, his surfaced from it's hiding place beneath the waves as he ran down the beach towards the ocean, the bogey giving off a faint florescent blue glow as if welcoming it's owner back into the water.  
  
Cannon smiled and ran into the waves, the stiff ocean breeze ruffling his longish black hair. He waded deeper into the depths until he reached the bogey, then jumped onto the driver's seat with the ease an equistrain jumps upon it's steed. "Alright, let's go back home," he said to himself, and almost looked forward to retreating back into his peaceful ocean city, away from the land above and it's pale skinned humans.  
  
"Let's go find Rhian."  
  
Chapter Five: The Secret  
  
Rhian didn't even have to wake Amadia up the next morning; Amadia didn't sleep that entire night. She laid awake in bed, chewing her already gnawed off nails even more, thinking and worrying and musing over what she had heard Niel and Jake talking about earlier.  
  
Rhian . . . a water person! she thought in a daze. She stared blankly out the window and watched the sun rise, tinging the water with a pale yellow glow. I can't believe it . . . what does it mean?  
  
Suddenly she remembered the water man she had seen while she was drowning earlier. So it wasn't just my mind playing tricks on me! There really WAS a man made of water, or something, saving me from drowning yesterday . . . is that what Rhian is? She chewed her nails so fiercely that they began to bleed, but she didn't even seem to notice. So why are Niel and Jake after her . . .?  
  
The door opened, and Rhian tip-toed into the room, freshly showered and dressed for a day of shopping. Her hair was pulled back into a tight herring bone braid, and she wore a pair of short denim shorts and a form fitting black tank top that matched her black sandals. "You awake already?" she whispered laughingly, sitting lightly at the end of Amadia's bed. "You were up pretty late last night!"  
  
Amadia couldn't get what Niel had said last night out of her head. "Eat the fucking bitch . . she could eat the bitch for all I care . . eat her . . eat her . . ." She began to shake, but tried to stay calm. Oh, um, yeah, haha, I just couldn't sleep." She giggled nervously, almost too loudly for so early in the morning.  
  
Rhian frowned. "You ok Amadia? You're shaking."  
  
Amadia jumped uo and pulled the blankets around her. "Oh! yeah I'm fine, just kinda . . . cold . . ." She pretended to yawn and stretch as she stood up langoriously. "I'm gonna take a shower real quick, and then we can head into town."  
  
"Ok, that's cool," Rhian replied, eyeing the girl curiously. "I'll just be outside, come get me when you're ready."  
  
As soon as Rhian closed to door behind her, Amadia sighed in relief and flopped back onto the bed. Ohmygodohmygod what am I gonna do? Rhian is some water person . . Niel and Jake are working for the government and are gonna kill her . . . and she might eat me! She held her head in her hands, all of a sudden plagued with a killer headache. Ok, calm down, Madia, it's might not be as bad as it seems. She might be a nice water person like that guy yesterday . . .  
  
She all of a sudden didn't want to take a shower anymore.  
  
***  
  
Niel watched, from inside of his room, as Rhian walked outside onto the porch and sat upon the chair swing. His big arms were crossed and his brow was furrowed, deep in thought, as he tried to figure out a way to approach the girl without giving away his objective.  
  
She's pretty hot . . . for a killer water freak, he thought with a grin. If I hadn't known any better, I woulda definately tried fuckin her. And then his idea struck him.  
  
Smoothly, casually, he strode outside and sat right beside Rhian, who shot him a look of disgust. "G'morning, beautiful," he said in a low, sexy sounding voice. It had always worked on Amadia . . .  
  
"Don't even try it, man," Rhian snapped back coldly. She scooted as far away from him as possible on the small chair swing. "I hope you are planning on apologizing to Amadia for what you did yesterday."  
  
Niel shrugged. "What do I care if she's afraid of the water? Not my problem." He grinned and put his arm around Rhian. "Besides, you're way hotter than she is . . ."  
  
"Back off, slime," Rhian warned again, pushing his arm off of her shoulders. "Don't even try it. You don't have a chance."  
  
"Suit yourself," he shrugged. He stood up and stretched, showing off his magnificent form and glistening muscles, his pride and joy from all of his training as a football player. He then leaned down so that his face was level with hers. "Just remember, I always get what I want." He grinned, then sauntered back into the apartment.  
  
Rhian scowled, her brows furrowed quizzically. What could he all of a sudden want with me? she wondered. I guess only time will tell . . .  
  
***  
  
Twenty minutes later, Amadia emerged from the foggy heat of the shower and into the sunshine, ready for a new day. She was wearing her favorite pair of blue capri pants that were striped with green and yellow plaid, and her green tank top matched perfectly. Rhian grinned when she saw her. "You have the coolest fashion sense, " she admired aloud, slinging her purse over her shoulder.  
  
"Thanks!" Amadia grinned as they walked out of the apartment and towards the red Ford Focus they had rented for the week. Rhian jumped into the driver's side. "I hope the guys don't mind that we are gonna 'borrow' this for the day!"  
  
They laughed together and drove away from the hotel parking lot. It was early enough that not many people were out, and it was only a Monday so not many people were around shopping. They pulled up to a quaint little coffee and bagel shop, drawn to it by the beautiful roses on display in the windows and the aromatic scent of the coffee beans.  
  
After they had sat at a table near the window and ordered their coffee, Rhian leaned in closer and sighed. "I have to tell you something before I burst," she breathed, cupping her chin in her palm.  
  
Amadia nearly jumped up from her seat. Oh no! She's gonna tell me she's a water person and that she plans on eating me and taking me away from all my friends and . . .  
  
"Niel hit on me this morning." She shot Amadia a worried look, her cheeks reddening in anticipation of her anger.  
  
Amadia nearly sighed in relief, and had to surpess a giggle from passing her lips. "Oh, that?" she laughed, pushing her long hair behind her ears. "Niel always hits on pretty girls. It's no big deal."  
  
Rhian frowned. "What do you mean, he always does?" she asked incredulously. "That's not cool Madia . . . you deserve better than that loser."  
  
Amadia shrugged. "I guess . . ." Suddenly she just had to let lose her own secret, she just couldn't contain it any longer. She was horrible with keeping secrets, and something of this magnitude just had to be told. "Well, last night I heard Jake and Niel sayin' that they work for the government all of a sudden and that you were some weird water person that eats people and that they haveta stop you before you eat me . . ." After realizing what she had just said, she shut her mouth quickly and covered it with her hands, her eyes wide open in fear.  
  
Rhian's tanned face was drained of all color and her mouth dropped open in surprise. She sat that way for what seemed like forever, frozen in shock, until she frowned and glared at Amadia.  
  
"I know, I thought it was stupid too, I mean, who thinks up these sorta things?" Amadia laughed nervously, trying to lighten the mood, but Rhian just kept glaring at her. "I mean, it's like . . stuff . . outta a comic . . ."  
  
Rhian stood up and grabbed Amadia's hand, squeezing it tightly. "Come with me, Madia," she demanded, pulling her up out of her seat. "We have to talk." They shoved past their waiter, who was carrying their tray of bagels and coffee, and out of the shop.  
  
Amadia hardly put up a fight as Rhian swept her away from the shop in the car, past the other little shops of the town and into the curving roads of the countryside. She was just frozen in fear that Rhian was going to take her out into the water, turn into deadly sharp bubbles and tear her to shreds so that she could eat her more easily. She couldn't even look the girl in the eye; her gaze was frozen to the blur of the area they were passing by with almost lightning speed.  
  
Finally, they pulled over into a secluded area on a hill topped with trees that overlooked the crashing waves of the ocean below. Rhian quickly got out of the car and Amadia obediently followed, walking slowly behind Rhian as she climbed the little hill and gazed down into the depths. They stood silently for a few minutes, Rhian's arms crossed and her thoughts far away, Amadia chewing her nails again in fear of her punishment.  
  
Rhian finally turned to Amadia and offered her a weak smile. "I guess I owe you some explanations," she said in a sad voice. "But I also have some revelations that you may find interesting to note.  
  
"There," Rhian pointed to the water below, "is my home. I was born of the oceans, and I will die of the oceans if I have any say in it. It's true: I am a water person, if that's what you want to call me.  
  
"Y'see, most humans don't even know we exist . . . and that's the way we want it. No offense to your kind, but when a human is confronted with something unknown, something new and undiscovered, they tend to receive it with . . . violence. Many of my people have been killed this way, so we don't want to endanger anyone else, from either side of the conflict. But when humans began threatening our home by dumping toxic wastes and pollutants into the water, our lifeblood, we had to devise a way to stop it in a pacifistic way.  
  
"So that's where I come into play. Our leaders find out who actually does the dumping of the wastes into our home, and they send trained 'specialists' to keep on eye on them and try to convince them to stop by showing them the error or their ways without revealing our true natures. I'm one of those trained specialists, a spy, I guess you could call me, and I was assigned to keep an eye on Jake and Niel."  
  
"Jake and Niel?" Amadia spoke up, enthralled by Rhian's tale. "What do they have to do with anything? They aren't . . ." And then she realized, just with the look in Rhian's eyes. "Oh," she muttered, downcast. "I can't believe it . . . this whole time, they've been using California 'Spring Break' trips as an excuse to dump shit into the ocean."  
  
"Exactly," Rhian answered. "And we found out, so they sent me up to your college to get an 'in' with your groups of friends and try to get the two to stop." She shuffled her feet back and forth, loath to say what was in her mind that moment. "But . . . I have failed."  
  
"What?" Amadia cried. "How? You can still stop them! I'm sure they'll listen! I'm sure we can . . ."  
  
Rhian shook her head. "They KNOW about me now, Madia, don't you see? Somehow, they found out what I really am, and they are trying to . . . stop me, I guess."  
  
Realization dawned upon Amadia at that moment, and she nearly jumped with what she finally understood. "Oh, no, THAT'S what their conversation last night meant!" she cried.  
  
"What? What did they say? You have to tell me, or my life, YOUR life, may be in danger!"  
  
Amadia strained to remember all that she had heard the night before. "Jake was sayin' somethin about the government, and how they told him you were from the water . . . and that they had to stop you, watch all that you did, and maybe even . . . kill you."  
  
Rhian's face paled. "Oh, no . . . now the government knows? This is worse than I expected." She held her head in her hands as if trying to fight back tears. "The government . . . has done horrible things to us. They use us, test us, like some sorta lab rat . . ."  
  
"What can we do?" Amadia cried. "What can I do? I want to help . . . I wish there was somethin' . . . I feel responsible for all of this." She clenched her fists at the enormity of the situation, at the helplessness she was plagued with.  
  
Rhian placed a shaky hand upon Amadia's shoulder. "It's not you, trust me, but you've gotta promise me that'll this will be between you and I only."  
  
Amadia nodded and smiled weakly. "Of course. I'll do whatever it takes to right this . . . I just guess it took something this drastic to make me realize how much I really hate Niel."  
  
Rhian grinned. "Yeah, he is an asshole, huh? It might take some . . . force to bring him down. Are you sure you can handle it?"  
  
Amadia embraced her new friend warmly. "Of course, Rhian."  
  
Rhian hugged her back and they stood there for a few moments, rveling in the warmth of newfound friendship. Then Rhian pulled away and stared Madia hard in the eye. "Good, because I have a plan ..."  
  
Chapter Seven: The Trenchcoat Man  
  
Jake pushed open the door to The Comic Shack, the jingling of the bells hanging above the door signalling his presence. A strong, unidentifiable odor washed over his face and he scowled, thinking, Goddamn comic geeks. They need to learn how to use deodorant!  
  
He pretended to browse amongst the long rows of boxes that contained thousands upon thousands of comics, every once and a while pulling one out to take a look at the covers. "Hmm, she's pretty hot," he muttered to himself while browsing over an old issue of Wonder Woman and waiting for the owner to finally show up. He continued this charade until he heard footsteps coming up behind him.  
  
"Find what you're lookin' for, son?" an old man asked in a cracked voice.  
  
Jake whirled around and grinned. "Well, actually, I was wonderin' if you had a copy of Wonder Woman #22, y'know that's the only one I need to complete my collection . . ."  
  
The jingling of the bells notified to two that two younger boys had just entered, clutching a small drawstring purse heavy with change, their faces alight with the prospect of purchasing new comics. The old man turned back to Jake. "Well, let's go in the back room and check. I seem to remember havin' a copy somewhere back there . . ."  
  
Jake followed the old man through a nondescript looking door behind the counter and into a room that was bare except for two crude wooden chairs and a long, empty table. A man sat in one of the chairs, wearing a low brimmed black hat and a long, simple trenchcoat that covered his entire body. His face was buried beneath the shadows that the hat cast, and a long, thin cigarette was protruding from his dark shrouded mouth.  
  
The old man grinned and left the two alone, closing the door behind him. The trenchcoat man stood up, waiting for Jake to speak.  
  
"I told Niel," he stated simply, crossing his arms in impatience.  
  
The trenchcoat man took a long puff of his cigarette, then blew little circles of smoke from his mouth. He sat silently for a moment, contemplating the cigarette he held between his fingers. "You know, I thought we discussed this."  
  
Jake scowled. "Whatever dude, I had to tell him at some point, he woulda caught on eventually . . ."  
  
"Niel," the trenchcoat man broke in, "is an idiot. If you hadn't told him, this wouldn't have had to get . . . messy."  
  
Jake shot back, "Well, don't get your fucking panties in a twist, 'cuz I gave him a job to do that I know will work."  
  
"And what's that?" the trenchcoat man snapped back sweetly. "Since you seem to think you are the brains of this operation. I thought we had an agreement: you get the girl, I won't send you to prison for illegally dumping toxic wastes into the ocean and capturing dolphins to be made into some sorta tuna fish. Apparently you have forgotten about that, hmm?"  
  
Jake glowered evilly at the man. "No, I haven't forgotten," he muttered lowly. "Asshole," he whispered under his breath.  
  
"I heard that. Now tell me, what is our wonderful friend Niel going to be contributing to our little operation? Run around flexing his muscles all day to try and distract the girl while you whisk her away to the lab?"  
  
"Kinda like that," Jake shot back cynically. "He's got his uses. I figured he could win the girl over and make it much easier for me to dope her up and get her ready for you guys."  
  
The trenchcoat man took another puff off of his cigarette and smiled. "That might work. Then again, it might not." He glared in Jake's direction. "If it doesn't, it's your ass, not mine."  
  
Jake shrugged. "It'll work. If not, I'll just haveta kill him."  
  
The trenchcoat man laughed a high, sarcastic laugh. He neared the door, flicking his cigarette butt onto the floor, not even bothering to stamp it out. "You're learning, kid, that's for sure. You certainly are learning . . ."  
  
Jake grinned as the trenchcoat man left the room, unnoticed by the two boys and the old man in the store. They were too caught up in a conversation on whether Wolverine could kick Batman's ass. Jake stood silently there for a moment and licked his teeth. "I'm learnin' more than you'll ever know, old  
  
man . . ."  
  
Chapter Eight: Ocean of Secrets  
  
Aspen Matthews had never felt so alive. She rode along the waves easily, balancing her thin form on top of the surfboard by holding her arms out like a bird. She laughed and hooted as the waves sprayed a light mist into her face and brought her even farther out in the ocean, until the wave subsided and she fell with a flop onto her stomach atop the board.  
  
A young boy, blonde and freckled, paddled up next to her on his own board, slightly smaller than hers. "Dude, that set rocked!" he cried, giddy from excitement. Her looked upon the beautiful black-haired Aspen with unabashed admiration, partly because of her stunning attractiveness, partly because of her awesome surfing skills.  
  
Aspen laughed heartily. "I haven't rode one like that in forever!" she exclaimed. "I wish I had more time to surf with you, Cameron! Haven't met a better surfing partner yet!"  
  
Cameron blushed. "Aww, I'm still learning though!" He lounged upon his board and let the sun soak through his skin. "I couldn't imagine not living with water, huh?"  
  
Aspen grinned. "Yeah, I know what ya mean," she replied, keeping the secret of her true heritage, that of a water person, from her new friend.  
  
All of a sudden, the water erupted from below them, glowing a feverish purple and pink light. Confused and curious, Cameron flipped upon his board so that he was straddling it, and he asked Aspen, "What is THAT?"  
  
Aspen had noticed the weird glow and followed Cameron's example, but she wasn't in the least bit curious. She had seen those pinkish lights many times before, and it usually meant that something bad was going down. "Just sit still Cameron, it's gonna be cool."  
  
The pinkish lights grew brighter and brighter as they neared the surface, until all of a sudden, a large water vehicle that looked as if it were made of coral penetrated the surface of the water. A dark haired man manned the vehicle, and grinned when he recognized Aspen.  
  
"Cannon!" she cried gleefully, jumping from her board into the water to embrace him.  
  
Cameron nearly fell off of his board. "HEY, that's one o' those weird jet ski things that took you away before, Aspen!" He growled at the man who sat aboard it, clenching his fists. "You aren't gonna take her away again, you bastard!"  
  
Aspen laughed and waved her hand towards Cameron. "Don't worry, he's not takin' me anywhere Cam! This is an old friend, Cannon Hawke." She hugged Cannon warmly, and he smiled as he hugged back.  
  
"Got yourself quite the bodygaurd there, huh, Aspen?" he grinned crookedly. Cameron still eyed him warily.  
  
Aspen giggled. "You could say that. This is Cameron, my new surfing partner."  
  
Cannon waved heartily at the boy, but Cam just shot him an uneasy look. The former shrugged. "Hell, I wouldn't trust myself either if I wasn't . . myself."  
  
"So what's up Cannon? You don't usually go around in public on a bogey unless somethin' is goin' down . . . " Aspen asked in concern.  
  
Cannon sighed. "I had a vision . . about an old flame of mine named Rhian. I just have this feeling . . ."  
  
" . . . that she's in trouble, right?" Aspen finished for him. "You're gettin' too predictable, old man." She grinned mischeviously. "What's wrong?"  
  
Cannon frowned. "That's the thing, I'm not totally sure . . . but it has something to do with the government."  
  
Aspen's eyes grew worried. "That's not cool at all . . . d'ya need me to come along and help? I've been kinda enjoying this past few days of peace, but I can handle not having it anymore . . ."  
  
Cannon shook his head. "No, I wouldn't want to put you in any more positions of danger Aspen. Besides, I think . . . I think this is something I have to deal with myself."  
  
Aspen could sense that her old friend wasn't telling her the whole truth, but she didn't want to intrude. "Ok . . ." she answered reluctantly. "But if you need me, you know how to get me . . ."  
  
Like this, of course, Cannon spoke directly into Aspen's mind. She smiled, eltting him know that she heard. I'll keep in touch if anything . . . happens.  
  
Of course. My thoughts with be with you Cannon, Aspen replied with a warm smile. "Well, good luck and good journey . . . and don't do anything I wouldn't do!"  
  
Cannon, as he desended back below the surface, shook his head and chuckled. "That's not much, Aspen, not much . . ." Then his voice, along with the bogey, disappeared below the waves, the only trace of his passing the faint pink glow of the water.  
  
Cam, hating to keep silent, swam up next to Aspen on his board. "Man, you've got some weird friends!"  
  
Aspen laughed heartily and playfully ruffled his spikey blonde locks. "Ya got that right!"  
  
Chapter Nine: The Underwater City  
  
Cannon's thoughts were ablaze and he sped along below the water on his bogey, scaring all of the schools of fish out of his way. All he could think about was Rhian, her beautiful face, her sweet, bell-like voice . . . but where was she? He hadn't spoken to her in years, since the Killian incident . . .  
  
Killian was what Cannon would personally call crazy. He was so bloodthirsty and ready to avenge his parents' deaths, who were killed by humans so many years ago, that he was even preparing to take over the world and secure the water peoples' grip as the leaders of Earth, smashing any human resistance. He had almost achieved his dream when he found Aspen and used her raw, up until then undiscovered powers, but Cannon finally got to her and she ended up killing Killian in the process. But that wasn't what bothered him. It was the fact that Rhian, his old love, had once left him for Killian . . .  
  
It was a long time ago, Cannon told himself. But still . . I haven't found it in my mind to forgive her yet. How could she have done that to me? She couldn't see how evil he really was, couldn't see that he only sough to use her against me . . . But somehow, Cannon's old enemy had gotten to his love, had used his charm and allure to woo her to his side. What once was a strong foundation of love was shattered by Killian's evil manipulativeness, and even after Rhian had realized her folly, Cannon was too proud to fully accept her back as his love. And thus the whole Lara fiasco, and my reluctance to go back home . . .  
  
After a few more minutes of speedy driving, home was finally in sight. A large underwater city lay below him, nestled between two great formations of coral and rock. The houses were beautiful, fragile looking structures that glowed a faint, pulsing blue, and other bogeys, slower and smaller than Cannon's, darted around the homes like fish. The city was made entirely of coral and other natural substances, and was created to fit amongst the other homes of the various other sea creatures that the water people shared the water with.  
  
Cannon sped in a downward spiral towards the largest structure of the city, the great Hall that sat in the center, the heart of the very city. They won't be expecting me, but I'm sure they've already sensed my presence . . .  
  
As if on cue, two smaller bogeys sped up beside him, escorting him to the Hall. Cannon! You're back! two male voices chimed in his head, genuinely glad to see him. He grinned and merely smiled as they led him to the entrance of the hall, allowing him to safely park his bogey outside, near the door.  
  
Setsuna was at the entrance, waiting to greet him. She was a tall, beautiful older woman with hair the color of silver, draped in a thin silky rose colored dress and her head was crowned with pearls, the most precious of all jewels to the water people. She opened her arms to her most trusted friend, whom she had cared for since his birth, and he ran into her embrace.  
  
"Cannon, you are finally home!" she weeped with joy, enveloping his muscular form with her arms. "We have all been worried about you, wondering what had happened after the incident with Killian . . ."  
  
"I've been fine, Setsuna, just exploring the wonders of above." He pulled back and gazed upon her warmly, as if trying to memorize each detail of her age worn face. "It's good to be home."  
  
She smiled back. "Come, eat, rest, it's been too long and we need to catch up on old times." She clasped his hand in her and began to lead him down the hallway to her private chambers, but Cannon held her back.  
  
He was loathe to decline Setsuna's offer, but he knew that me must. "Sadly, old friend, I cannot stay here long. I . . I had a vision . . about Rhian."  
  
Setsuna turned around with a start, her face paling upon hearing the name. "Rhian? Cannon . . . what was your vision?"  
  
"She was in grave danger, and it somehow involved the humans and the government," he told her seriously, his voice grave. "Is she here, is she ok? I . . I haven't been in contact with her since . . since . . "  
  
Setsuna stopped him by holding up her hand. "Cannon, Rhian was . . . she was sent up above as an operative . . . after you left."  
  
Cannon nearly fell over with that news. The world spun around his head, and he had to hold it with both hands to keep from tumbling down with dizziness. "An . . an operative? Why? How . . how did this happen?"  
  
Setsuna took him by the hand and led him to a nearby table, where she sat him down gently. "She was sent to the Midwest to watch over a group of college students who were involved with dumping waste into the Pacific." She watched Cannon with growing concern as he struggled to keep from panic, his eyes darting to and fro, not daring to rest anywhere. "She requested it, Cannon, and she was the best we had to do that particular job. I think . . . I think that she wanted to prove herself to us, and to you, that she was valuable to our people after what Killian had done."  
  
Cannon shook his head, suddenly angry. "Well, that was stupid. Now she's going to go get herself killed, and there's not a damn thing I can do about it!" He slammed his fist onto the table in anger. "Where is she now? Is anybody monitering her?"  
  
Setsuna shook her head. "We lost contact with her only a few days ago, but we do know that she is somewhere near here, around California. She hasn't tried contacting us since, and we have been getting worried."  
  
"Well you damn well should be!" Cannon yelled angrily, and then he realized how misplaced his anger was. "I'm sorry Setsuna, I . . I'm just frightened for her . . ." He dropped his head into his hands as if defeated. "You understand the nature of our relationship, how close we were . . ."  
  
Setsuna patted his hand consolingly. "I know, Cannon, far better than you suspect. And now, with your news of a vision . . . I am even more afraid for Rhian's sake, more than ever before."  
  
Suddenly Cannon stood up. "I'm gonna find her." He walked away from Setsuna and into another room, where he knew weapons were kept. Determined and more focused than he could ever remember, he grabbed the most powerful coral guns, the favored weapons of the water people, and strapped them to his belt and back with a focus that nearly startled even him.  
  
Setsuna followed him, wrangling her hands in worry. "Cannon, how are you going to save her when you don't even know where to look? We've sent people out to find her, and they haven't had any luck . . "  
  
"Well then they weren't looking hard enough," he growled fiercely, tightening a strap that held a smaller gun on his shoulder. "I'll look up and down the whole damn coast of California if I have to, but I will find her."  
  
Setsuna sighed as she watched the young man stride out of the room with a determination that bordered on a frightening level. He merely turned around and gave her a short wave and a weak smile as he left the Hall, his face set in a grim frown as he pushed past the two men who had escorted him earlier and jumped atop his bogey. They shot Setsuna confused glances, inquiring what to do, but she only shook her head.  
  
Always so headstrong, so stubborn, Cannon she thought with a sigh. But I suppose there is no stopping you, and you are the best man to go after Rhian.  
  
Cannon could faintly hear Setsuna's thoughts as he sped away from the underwater city, leaving the peaceful blue glow behind in a flurry of bubbles. You're damn right, Setsuna, he thought, loud enough for her to hear. And I'm going to be bringing her back alive.  
  
Chapter Ten: Kai  
  
The water man watched from behind a large lump of coral as Cannon departed frantically from the underwater city. He could read his thoughts, and knew even wothout scanning his fellow water person that something bad was happening.  
  
The water man swam around the coral, his body a myriad of bubbles all coaslescing into his form. He had been living in that form for years, so long, in fact, that he almost couldn't remember what he really looked like. Oh well, it doesn't matter now . . . he thought sadly. There's something bad going down . . . and I may be the only one who can help Cannon.  
  
The man was afraid to contact even Cannon, who had watched over him and his lost sister when they were younger. Everyone believed him to be lost for so many years, not even knowing that he had been living amongst them the whole time, hiding in his water form, afraid to approach his own people for fear of them rejecting him.  
  
And then there was the girl, the one who had almost drowned . . . was it yesterday? It seemed so long ago . . . but she enchanted him like no one else had. Even his search for his lost sister did not hold his attention like she had. She was a human, but she had SEEN him, had looked straight into his eyes and through, it seemed, to his very soul. She was so beautiful, even as a pale skinned human, her hair feathering around her oval shaped face, her eyes large with fear, and then wonder. He had held her there selfishly, he knew, but he would not have let her drown. And then that other girl grabbed her, a girl of his own race. He knew that it was inevitable that the human girl would be taken from him, but he wanted to keep her there for as long as possible. And now Cannon was after the water girl . . . she was in danger . . . and only the water man knew where to find her.  
  
Should I help him? Will he know who I am? the water man wondered frantically. He knew that, somehow, fate rested upon his shoulders and his alone. But he was so afraid of approaching him, afraid that Cannon would somehow be . . dissappointed with his old friend . . .  
  
I can't just sit here and let that girl die, the water man though with disgust at himself for even contemplating not helping Cannon. I've gotta get to him . . before he gets too far . . .  
  
The water man swam quickly towards Cannon's slowly disapearing from, the bubbles around him speeding past his face, lightly brushing against him, almost tickling his form. I'm going to have to call him with my mind, I just can't catch up fast enough . . . he realized, and then focused his thoughts hard enough and loud enough so that Cannon could hear.  
  
Cannon? Turn back . . I know where to find Rhian. It's . . . it's Kai . . . 


End file.
